Food on the Move Business Summit - Full Day Conference

Join us for Food on the Move Business Summit | September 18, 2024 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the HCC Regional High Tech Center!

This one-day summit in an event designed for current and future business owners in the mobile food industry, including those operating or planning to open food trucks, mobile produce markets, craft foods and baked goods, or any other mobile product or service.

HCC Food on the Move Summit Agenda

September 18, 2024 | 9AM-3PM

9:00 AM - 9:20 AM: Opening Remarks and Welcome A brief introduction to the participants, speakers, sessions, and objectives.

9:20 AM - 10:35 AM: Opening Session #1 Session 1 - Russ Seagle: Crafting Your Uniqueness and Standing Out in the Food Industry It seems like every time you turn around, your town has an event or pop-up market. When it comes to being a food vendor, these events and markets are very popular right now and can provide great exposure and be very profitable, but that means there is also much competition. What will make your products stand out? Maybe it’s the type of cuisine, the packaging and display of your product, the quality of ingredients, the customer experience, or something else. Learn why it’s so important to set yourself apart from the pack and better understand how to do so.

10:35 AM - 10:45 AM: Coffee Break Time for networking and refreshments.

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM: Opening Session #2

Session 2 - Ben Hooper (Owner of Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue Food Truck): Lessons Learned from a Current Food Truck Owner and Operator Would you like to hear from someone who started a food business and is still doing it? Ben Hooper owns and operates Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue food truck and has seen and experienced a lot! Over his time in the business, he's had highs and lows and has had to adapt quickly and continue to learn. Ben will share from his own experience what has worked well for him, common (and sometimes costly) mistakes, lessons learned, and what he is doing to still make it work.

After this session, Ben will be giving a tour of his food truck on-site for anyone who is interested.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Lunch Break Bring your lunch or visit several restaurants close by. We highly encourage you to join someone you’ve just met for a great opportunity to network and get to know someone new.

12:00 PM-1:00 PM: *OPTIONAL Food Truck tours with Ben from Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue food truck on-site. 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Breakout Sessions (Sessions 3 and 4) - Two sessions on different topics, allowing you to choose based on individual interests.

Session 3 - Tonya Snider: CREATE a Strong Foundation with a Start-up Checklist for Food VendorsStarting a "food on the move business" can be an exciting and rewarding venture, but it requires careful planning and consideration. This session explores the main things to consider when starting your food vendor business.

Session 4 - Sharon Oxendine: CREATE Your Ideal Customer Avatar for Mobile Food Success This session will help you drill down on who your target audience is and understanding that better will help you be more effective as you begin to tailor your products, distribution, and marketing efforts.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Breakout Sessions (Sessions 5 and 6): Two sessions on different topics, allowing you to choose based on individual interest.

Session 5 - Tonya Snider: CREATE a Menu and Other Visuals that Clearly Identify Your Food Business and Build a Strong Brand Learn how to use Canva, a free, online tool, to create menus, signage, t-shirts and other graphics that showcase your product well and start to identify you as a consistent and quality brand.

Session 6 - Sharon Oxendine: CREATE a Memorable Food Experience that Encourages Repeat Visits A good customer experience can make or break your business, especially in the food industry. This session will explore how providing a unique experience for your customers and excellent customer service is key to building a loyal customer base. This interactive session will help you brainstorm ways to accomplish this with your customers, and ultimately encourage repeat business.